


First Date

by thenewdarling



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl & Platinum | Pokemon Diamond Pearl Platinum Versions
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:33:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25035517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thenewdarling/pseuds/thenewdarling
Summary: Volkner and Flint have a little anniversary lunch, and remember their first date.(Light and fluffy and pointless. I love these boys.)
Relationships: Denzi | Volkner & Ouba | Flint, Denzi | Volkner/Ouba | Flint
Kudos: 26





	First Date

It was a warm day, and Sunyshore City shone like an emerald in a lake. The cool breeze carried the salt air and the Mantyke in from the east. 

Volkner and Flint sat outside their usual cafe, with its baroque ornamental iron chairs and matching tiny round table, eating lunch. It could be a postcard from Kalos.

Volkner waited until Flint had gone up to the toilet to scrape the veggies off his plate into Raichu's bowl.

Flint eyed the bowl when he returned and saw the leftovers.

He laughed. "Why do you still do that like I don't know what you're doing?"

Volkner bristled. "Because you make me feel weird about it."

It was a quiet date, fitting for the understated domesticity of their fourth anniversary. A little bit of lunch in the same place they'd had their first date.

The weather had actually been much like this…

#

They'd been set up on a blind date by their mutual friend, Jasmine. Volkner had seemed cute enough from the pictures, in that angsty brooding bad-boy way, but the date was not off to a good start.

"So... what do you do?" Flint said, picking at his eggs benedict, and trying not to think about the oncoming bill. This place looked _very_ fancy.

Volkner's brow furrowed.

"Did I say something wrong?" Flint said.

"No, it's just - you don't know I'm the Gym Leader?"

"What?!" Flint threw his arms up, causing the little round table to shudder and the plates to clatter. Volkner instinctively reached to hold everything down. 

Really, these tables were too small to comfortably seat two people, but that was how you knew the cafe was fancy.

"Oh my god, you must be a real big shot if you're a Gym Leader!"

"Yeah, something like that," Volkner said, and he blushed. His complexion was so pale the blush rose up his entire chest and neck. He was like one of those Regency boys from old books Flint hadn't bothered to read. "Do you... Pokémon?"

Flint laughed. "Yeah, I Pokémon. I actually Pokémon pretty good, though not in Sinnoh yet."

"But you have an Infernape," Volkner cocked his head. Didn't that mean he'd gotten his first Pokémon in Sinnoh?

"Oh, that's a long story." Flint grimaced, and reached for his coffee cup, partly to hide his face.

Volkner shrugged. "Tell it," he said gently.

"I'd, really rather not."

"Oh. Right. Sorry." Volkner, realising he'd stepped over the line, reached to take a sip of water to fill the silence. When that didn't fill it, he took another. And then another. God, his kingdom for a vodka right now.

"So, um," Flint said, when Volkner said absolutely nothing for what felt like ten hours. "What's being a Gym Leader like?"

"It's, uh, kinda boring, if I'm honest."

"Boring?" Flint laughed. "That's intriguing - I thought there'd be a lot going on."

"I became a Gym Leader because - well, actually. I partly became a Gym Leader because I wanted the zoning rights to create these solar panel roads? It'll be a while before they're actually up. But also, I... really want challenging Pokémon battles. And I haven't lost a Pokémon battle in months."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, it's - it's a little demotivating. Like being the biggest fish in a tiny pond."

"Huh. I guess I know how that feels."

"Really?"

"Well, I keep finding myself in new ponds, which helps."

"Yeah, I've really set my anchor here. At least, for the time being."

"Did you grow up in Sunyshore?"

"Yeah. I travelled around a little but I ended up coming back," Volkner said.

"How come?"

"I.. I guess I ran out of track," Volkner said. "It seemed like there was no point."

Flint looked confused. "But you said you craved strong Pokémon battles, surely travelling around is the best way to get that?"

"Yeah but I..." Volkner fidgeted in his chair. "I don't..." 

He stood up abruptly - now it was his turn to knock the table. It careened over and eggs benedict scattered to the floor. A couple of Wingull cawed and dive-bombed for them.

"I have to go," Volkner said. "I'm sorry about the mess." He pulled out his wallet and shoved a fistful of notes into Flint's hands before rushing off.

Flint stood there, gawping like a Magikarp.

#

After paying with Volkner's money and smoothing it over with the irate cafe owner, Flint walked down the beach. He didn't know how he knew that was where he had to be.

The wind was calming, and the sand was so hot the heat rose through his sandals. 

He found Volkner sitting on a rock in a secluded part of the beach, head in his hands. A Raichu sat next to him, patting him on the back, looking concerned.

"Hey," Flint said.

"Oh!" Volkner jumped, looking up. His eyes were red and puffy.

Flint put his hands up in a pacifying motion. "Hey, truce. I'm sorry if that was a little overwhelming, I didn't think."

"No, I'm sorry. You shouldn't be having to deal with this. I'm not exactly the most mentally stable person."

Flint cackled. "I don't know what you're talking about. You seem very mentally stable. You know, in the way the Titanic is stable at the bottom of the ocean."

He bit his tongue as soon as it was out his mouth. God dammit! Why couldn't he just think before he spoke?

Volkner, to Flint's surprise, laughed. "Yeah, I guess that's one way of putting it."

"Do we... have something here?" Flint said. "I feel like we do. And I can't tell how or why, but... Do you wanna do this again sometime?"

Volkner blinked, processing. "Uh." 

And then he smiled. And that smile. It was like a million watts. Oh dear, Flint thought, as he felt his heart melt.

"I'd like that," Volkner said.

#

And that was how they had functioned for four years. They complimented each other well, Flint had always thought. Volkner sometimes needed a little push to get out of his comfort zone. And Flint needed someone to tell him when his fuse had blown or he'd ran his mouth.

It was a strange feeling, Flint thought. Because, not much had changed, and yet everything had changed. 

He'd set down roots here now, become part of the Elite Four to try and push Volkner to get those battles he craved. And yet, here he was digging into the same eggs benedict in the same little cafe.

"Oh, did I tell you? Jasmine is coming back to Sunyshore in a few weeks," Volkner said. "I can't wait to show her the new lighthouse - I modeled it on the one she has back home."

Flint smiled. "That's awesome."

"And also, I think I might try and take on the Pokémon League," Volkner said. "The solar panels are all done and I haven't broken a sweat with a challenger in almost a year."

"That'd be fun - you'd be fighting me, we haven't had a battle in ages!" Flint said.

Raichu pulled on Flint's leg, and motioned to Flint's plate. "Hey, you already got Volkner's and I actually like salad!"

Raichu did puppy-dog eyes.

Flint glared. "Fine." And he gobbled down half of it in one bite, and shoveled the rest into the little bowl.

"You've got a little dressing.." Volkner said, motioning at his own lip.

"Where?" Flint said, padding around his mouth for it.

"Right th- oh for goodness sake-" he said, and reached over to wipe it away with his own finger. They paused, Flint's face in Volkner's hand, and just looked at each other for a second. "Hey."

"Hey."

"Happy anniversary," Volkner said, and he planted a kiss right where the dressing had been.

Flint leaned back in his chair, beaming.

"So when are we getting that 'fro chopped?" Volkner said, returning to his lunch. And the conversation slipped back into the normal domestic bliss of another summer afternoon.


End file.
